


Addison Freak Show

by King_Vinney



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Circus, Crossdressing, Freak Show, MLM Romance, Multi, Original au, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Sally Face - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Tags May Change, Teenagers, This is a rewrite!, Tragedy, Travis Phelps - Freeform, freakshow au, lying, mlm, mlw - Freeform, mlw romance, original concept, sal fisher - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-22 12:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/King_Vinney/pseuds/King_Vinney
Summary: COME ONE AND COME ALLStep right up to the infamous Addison Freak show!Come see our strong man lift 10,000 lbs!Go see our contortionist do amazing tricks you won't believe!Visit our ghostly oracle, he can see where your life is going!Or maybe our MAD SCIENTIST AND HIS MONSTER!!!And remember, seeing is believing!~~~~Set in the 1940's, the Addison freakshow is booming. Sales are up. One day, the Phelps church decides to take all the member's children to the circus. One of the boys, Travis Phelps, is pressured into getting a reading from the mystical oracle, Sal Fisher. When Sal see him and Travis being romantic in his vision, he panics. What he does, is unimaginable.
Relationships: Ashley Campbell/Larry Johnson, Chug/Maple (Sally Face), Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps, Todd Morrison/Neil
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Any Sal/Travis fan](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Any+Sal%2FTravis+fan).



It was drizzling. But it was performance night. The acts were getting read in their own personal tent. Sal was putting on one of his mother's dresses. She was a circus performer herself, and Sal took her gifts. He liked it. He grew up in the circus with his mother and father for a time. Until his mother was shot and he was left with a deformed face. 

But he couldn't think of that right now. He needed to get ready. He grabbed the prosthetic mask he always wore. He had decorated it with different sigils and designs to make it appear more mystic and mysterious. He stared at himself in the mirror. Remembering his mother's mantra 'You are safe. You are powerful, you are strong.' He smiled at himself until he heard his tent flap open up. It was none other than his closest friend Larry Johnson. They instantly bonded when larry was brought to the circus at a young age. His mother was amazed by his gift of strength. And she knew how to get monetary gain out of this. The circus. Larry didn't mind. He was one of the main stars. 

"You coming, man? Shows starting soon!" Larry's voice was nice. Not too deep but not too feminine either. It was a nice middle ground. It was calming in a way. He had always come to Larry in times of need. Whether he be upset or just wanted to hear him speak. Larry was always up to help his closest friend. Sal nodded, "Yeah! Just give me a second!" He clipped the two clips behind his blue hair then grabbed the cristal ball and stand. It was his mothers. A prized possession passed down to the firstborn Fisher kid! The ability to see into the future was passed down from generation to generation. 

Sal didn't mind it. It was a nice little thing to see who would get together, who would have a kid first...But he could also see the darker things that would happen to people. That was the worst part of his performance. When he would get a person with a dark future ahead. He despised telling them things in front of a crowd. So in the even of this happening, he would slide the person a card and tell them to come back later that night. Other than that, he would tell people's futures. They would often come back a few weeks or weeks later confirming it really happened.

But tonight was performance night. It was rumored that a bunch of the kids from the church were coming to see the performance. They were all dressed to the nines in their Sunday outfits. It was pretty crowded. People who normally wanted to see the performance and the church kids filled up the stands rather quickly. The main tent smelled like popcorn. It was a nice salty and buttery smell. The performers were used to the smell, of course. They had been here for most of their lives. 

Soon enough, the lights began to dim. A man walked to the center of the rink. A bright light shone down on him. He was dressed in a bright orange suit with green hair. He looked no older than 30, "Welcome! Welcome to the Addison freak show! Where you will see things you never expected to see! Things you never thought would be possible! You'll be filled with horror! Delighted!-" he spun around the rink, pointing his cane around at the different people. "-Some will be absolutely stunned with the amazing gifts that these lovely people were born with!" The crowd started to clap. They were all clearly excited by the thoughts of what was about to happen. 

Larry came out first. He was wearing a leotard. It was white and had red stripes down it along with some regular shoes he always wore. A stereotypical strong man outfit. He had a rack of dumbells next to him as he came out. Different sizes, some looking heavier than others. Some of them were hollow and weight almost nothing. He lifted the smallest one first. Then slowly built his way up to the heaviest one. Everyone was cheering by the end. Some of them were standing up fo a standing ovation to cheer him on. Torrence came out when Larry went backstage, "Ladies and Gentleman! Next up is our lovely contortionist! Watch her bend in unnatural ways! 

Ash came out after her act was called. She was wearing a tight body-conforming purple leotard. it was decked out with glitter and gemstones. It had a flowy train in the back of it. Lisa Johnson had made it custom made for her. Lisa was pretty much the mom of the group. Helping out when needed. She got on her little stand and began bending in almost unnatural ways. Each movement came with a gasp from the crowd. Some people cheered her on, however, but most of them just watched in absolute horror and amazement. She grabbed a chest from under the desk. She waved at the crowd before slowly squishing herself in and shutting the top. Larry jogged out from backstage and lifted the chest above his head. The crowd began to cheer. Ash pushed open the door and waved again, a big proud smile on her face. Larry waved and carried the chest with Ash in it backstage. Torrence ran out, "Weren't they amazing, Lady and Gents?! He looked around at everyone. They all began to cheer again, "I must warn you. This next act will shock and confuse you all! Our mystical Oracle will be taking two lucky people from the crowd and tell them their future! Who will they be!" He scanned the crowd. The boys sitting around Travis got him to stand up. A girl from the other side got selected along with Travis. The lights when completely out for a few seconds. 

By the time the lights had come back up, Sal was sitting in the middle of the arena. A small black table was in front of him. On that table was a crystal ball, a few candles, and tarot cards. Something to set the mood. He lit a match then set the two wicks of the candles ablaze. The audience all gasped in shock as they saw Sal's graceful movements. His hair wasn't in pigtails or braids. He always kept it down during performances. He thought it looked better, more...mysterious. The girl was brought down by some ushers. Sal looked directly into her eyes. That's how his act always started, "Angelica, yes?" He set his hands on the ball, "Yes, that's my name." The girl said in a soft voice. Sal looked into the ball, "A family. Two sons and a lovely young daughter. Your husband will be successful as an actor, and you will live a lavious life." He explained while rubbing his hands on the crystal ball. The girl looked back at her friends and let out a giggle, "Is that it?" Sal nodded, "Yes. You may go back to your seat. Send the boy down."  
  
The crowd applauded then the girl went back to her seat. Travis was brought down. He had a pretty nasty black eye from his father. They had gotten into a very bad argument only an hour prior to the trip. His hands were shaking as he sat across from Sal. "Travis, right?" He asked and looked into his eyes. Something...It seemed to click between the two. Travis hesitated before nodding, "Yes...That's my name..." Sal smiled under his mask then began to foresee the future. His heart sank. He could see the two. A wedding, then adopting kids... He stood up and took a step back. This was a first for him. He had seen everyone else's future, but never his own. He fumbled to get a card out of his pocket. The one he used when a person's future didn't look too good. He dropped it on the table, then quickly ran behind the curtains.   
Torrence went to the center of the arena, "My apologies! Our oracle must be feeling a bit under the weather!"  
Sal was panicking. He was pacing back and forth. Larry ran to him, "Sal! What the hell happened back there!?" He opened his arms to comfort him. Sal shook his head quickly, "M-My future! I saw _My_ future, Larry!" His voice was shaking, "We were together! Fucking together!" Larry froze in place, "I would say you're lying but I know you're damn ability..." He said in a low tone, "Okay... We can figure this out. Is he coming later?" He asked, trying to calm and figure out the situation. Sal nodded again, "Yeah-! Yeah..." he took a deep breath, "I gave him the card..." He sat on the nearest crate. Honestly extremely shaken up about this whole situation. 

Travis came into the back later that night. He hadn't told anyone in the church about this. He just simply snuck out his window. Larry had calmed Sal down in the time between the performance and now. Larry saw Travis and nudged Sal to go over. Sal was extremely hesitant, "Hello." He called out. His voice startled Travis. Who jumped up in his spot, "Travis. Come this way..." He motioned to the main tent, then began walking towards it. Travis stalled for a few minutes before following after Sal, "What happened during the performance?" He questioned. Sal turned around to him, "In the vision, I saw us. Married then adopting kids." He explained, trying not to panic. Travis didn't seem to alarmed. He believed Sal was a girl. Between the hair and the dress. He had a cheeky grin, "Well I wouldn't mind that...How about we try this stuff out, yeah?" Sal felt his face go pale. Even though Travis couldn't see thanks to the prosthetic, "Ye...Yeah!" He nodded then quickly walked off, hoping Travis did the same. 

"He said WHAT?!" Larry asked as he sat up on Sals bed. Sal had been explaining what just happened to his friend, "Exactly! I don't think he knows I'm a guy! Why else would he do that?! He comes from a church! They don't like homosexuals!" He was pacing again. More afraid for his safety. Yeah, Travis wanted to date a girl. But what if they got caught? Sal and Travis would surely be killed. Larry stood up, "Listen. We'll figure this shit out. Write him a letter explaining this. I'll deliver it." Sal nodded hesitantly. He sat at his desk then took out a pen and paper. He began to write down things then handed the note to Larry.   
Larry took it then walked out. He made it to the church and handed it to the head person, "Give this to Travis." The person took it and shut the door.   
[To be continued]


	2. Chapter 2

Days had gone by. No response from Travis. Sal had begun to worry that Travis was avoiding him. Of course, he didn't include how he was actually a guy in a dress, and not an actual female. He knew that would instantly cause issues between Travis and Sal. This is how it went. Sal would go to Larry, then the circus' main mailbox. Nothing. Until a week after the first encounter. There was a note in a shotty envelope with 'To Sally'. It was slanted, so it was most likely written in the dark. 

Sal ran to Larry with the letter in hand, "He wrote back! He finally wrote back!" He was laughing and waving it above his head. Larry walked over, "Okay? Open it!" He laughed as well, looking at it. Sal ripped off it and took out the piece of paper inside. The writing was messy. Some parts were scribbled out. Sal's eyes scanned it quickly before actually reading it, "Dear Sally. I got your letter. Thankfully the headmasters didn't snoop and read it. I was absolutely amazed by your act. And the fact that you saw us in your vision must mean something! I would love to try and go out on a date. The only downside is that we would have to keep our romance a secret! Not because I'm ashamed of you, I just don't know how the others would react to me dating someone from the circus. Meet me in front of the diner on Dean street tonight at 9 pm ...I'll is waiting..!" Sal finished. His eyes were wide and he stared up at Larry, "He wants to date me!?" His mind was racing. He knew he would have to hide the fact that he was a guy from Travis as long as he could. Larry laughed softly, "We got all day to get you ready for your date! Ash! Todd! We got work to do!" 

Ash and Todd made their ways over. They didn't know what was happening. Larry stood up, "Our boy Sal got himself a date!" He laughed. Ash squealed and wrapped her arms tightly around Sal, "Yes!! Who's the lucky gal?" Sal looked up at her. He had a crush on her for an awhile, but didn't feel like mentioning it and possibly running the friendship, "Oh- Well...Hah. _His_ name is Travis." Ash took a second. Maybe to process what was going through her head, "Ohh! Sals gonna get a boyfriend!" She was so supportive. Ever since Neil and Todd came out and admitted they were dating, the circus became a safe space. Sal took a second. Her excitement sort of startled him, "Yeah! But there's one big ass issue..." Ash tilted her head to the side when she heard this, "Yeah? What is it?"  
"Travis thinks Sals a girl." Larry spoke up, sitting on his desk chair, "And I don't think Sal wants to shoot down his chances with his future fiance." He teased. Todd sat on his bed, "What do you mean 'Future fiance'?" Sal looked at Todd, "I may have seen me in his future..." He was hesitant. He didn't know why. But something inside him didn't want to say it. Todd nodded, "So either you fake your gender identity the entire time, or he finds out...?" He was already thinking of all the possibilities that could happen. Sal sat next to him on the bed, "Yeah. It's super fucked...I'm probably gonna tell him after we've been dating for a while. Maybe that'll help?" Larry looked over at him, "Good luck with that, dude."  
  


Time seemed to crawl by. Maybe it was the nervousness Sal had. What if they _did_ get caught. Or what if he got caught. He might be labeled 'insane' or something. It was unheard of a man dressing as a woman. He didn't even plan it. It was just his mothers' clothes that were passed down. If only people would understand it's just fabric covering his body. But he couldn't think about that right now. He would get himself worked up even more and end up not going to his date. He was staring in his full-length mirror in his room. He was in one of his mom's dresses, again. He felt like he had to do this to be safe. It was a knee-length dress. It was a grey-blue color, with a black collar, black buttons, and a black belt around his waist. He felt more feminine than usual. Sal grabbed one of the hair ties from his desk along with his brush. He took a few minutes to brush it out since he never did it normally. He threw it into a bun and went back to staring into his mirror. _Would mom be proud of me right now?_ He thought as he touched the dress's fabric. He remembered his mom wearing this whenever they would go on family outings together. He felt the corners of his mouth curl up at the memories, _Yeah. She would be proud of me_.  
Larry walked into the tent closer to 8:30. He just looked at Sal like a proud father would, "Sal. You look great!" He walked over and hugged his friend tightly. Sal hugged back just as tight, "I feel great!" This was a change of mood. Only an hour ago he was freaking out over if Travis were to go for a kiss and see Sal's natural face. Of course, his friends got him to calm down in time. Sal checked the time, "I should be walking over! Wish me luck!" He walked out of his tent. Ash, Todd, and Neil all saying encouraging things on his way off the Property. 

Travis was already waiting outside on a bench. He had a bouquet of flowers on his lap. He had bought them only an hour earlier. He really hoped that Sal liked this type of flower. Even if Sal used it for some witchcraft magic, he still wanted Sal to have these. He was nervous. Which was normal for a first date. He wasn't as nervous as Sal, however. He didn't have much of a plan.   
Sal walked up to him. Only a few minutes late, "Hey! Sorry. I had to walk." He had a smile underneath his mask. Hopefully, Travis could see it in his eye creases. Travis chuckled softly and held out the flowers. Sal took them into his hands, "These are lovely...! I'll put them in a vase as soon as I get home." He didn't realize it, but he pitched his voice to protect his identity. Travis nodded, "I thought of it almost like a first date gift. Courting, almost." Sal motioned to the door, "Let's get our date on."  
Travis went to open the door for Sal. Which caught him off guard. He was so used to opening doors for others to be a gentleman. He just went with it so he didn't risk being caught. Travis went to the hostess and got them a little booth towards the back. Once they were in, Travis just smiled sweetly. He didn't seem like he came from a strict religious place. Most people in that church would come out strict and rude. But Travis was different. He was in peace. 

Travis just looked at him in silence for a few minutes. Sal was looking back at him until Travis finally spoke up, "What's it like living in the circus?" Sal shrugged, "It's kinda like living in a house but you're performing for fun. You get weird looks all the time for working at the circus. And we sleep in a tent. But they're just like rooms." He used his hands as he spoke. He didn't notice he did this whenever he spoke. Travis nodded as Sal spoke, "Interesting..." He was interested in how they live. He's always wanted to run away to the circus, but know it would be a sudden shock in culture. Sal played with the hem of his skirt. He hadn't gone on a date ever, "Yeah. I've been living there since I was a little kid. My mom had this gift too. How she met my dad." He explained, trying to keep it down. Travis' smile only grew. He thought this was a very good sign! 

The date went smoothly. A bunch of laughter was shared over a meal. Now, Travis was walking Sal towards the circus. Sal could sense what was about to happen. The kiss. He felt his heart grow heavy as they slowly made it to the entrance of his tent. He really didn't want Travis to see how he really looked. Being shot in the face from a young age really scarred it. He was missing most of his cheek. His left eye was made out of glass, "Sally...? Can you take off your mask?" He asked softly.

Oh no. The dreaded feeling was even stronger than before, "But my face is super messed up and ugly." He tried to deter him. Travis persisted, however, "Sally, please, I just want one kiss...I don't think your face will affect me." Sal shook his head quickly, "Travis, my face is deformed. Why I wear this." He admitted, in a whisper/yell tone. Travis took a second, "I won't mind." His tone was soft and gentle. Sal shook his head, "No. Goodnight." He went into the tent, hoping Travis got the message to leave. Travis did leave after there for a few minutes. He felt guilty. He knew he shouldn't have pushed Sal, but he did anyway.  
  
Larry walked into Sal's tent a few minutes after he saw Travis leaving, "So how was the first date?!" Sal was looking in the mirror and undoing his hair, "He wanted a kiss. And I kept telling him no and he kept persisting. And I just left him. I told him goodnight, though." Larry looked at Sal with wide eyes, "Sal! Dude! What the fuck!? Why couldn't you just lift it up just to see your lips?!" Sal spun around, "I don't want my first date ending with him seeing that I look like a freak!" He had tears in his eyes, "I've heard it before, Larr! 'Oh I won't freak out!' or 'I won't mind!'. They always mind! They always just stare in horror then leave me!" The tears were now rolling down his cheeks. He was stressed, "Just...Just give me some time. I'll talk to you in the morning." He shoved Larry out then laid down on his bed. Maybe he just needed some sleep. Which is what he did. Slept pretty well.   
[to be continued]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/b7/06/aeb706a7ad67842a932209b37e34f8c4.jpg  
> This was the dress I was trying to describe!


	3. Chapter 3

Sal woke up the next morning. He slowly got up and went to look in the mirror. He always did this. His mask was off. He reached one hand up, slowly running his fingers over the creases and cracks on his face. He began to fill his eyes well up at the final thoughts of his mother. He didn't have much memory of the actual incident. Just the moments leading up to it. His mother telling him to not go too far away from her. Him running to see a fake dog and wanting to pet it! He was five, couldn't you blame him? But Diane noticed the man with a shotgun. She ran over to protect her baby. Turning him away from her then...BANG...Then most of the memories were fuzzy. Most...Memories were fuzzy, actually. He had very poor memory skills after the accident. So he struggled slightly to remember the night prior.

But when he did, his heart sank. He was beginning to feel guilty over not kissing Travis. Maybe it was the wrong thing to shove him away. No. it was the right thing in Sal's eyes. Not only did he want to hide his face, but he also just wasn't ready to kiss yet. He sighed softly then began to get dressed. Just some pants and a button-down. It was one of Larry's old ones that didn't fit the tall brunette anymore. 

Sal slowly made his way to the main tent. There was a long table in the center with two benches on either side. Each member of the circus was there. They all had a tradition of sitting together for breakfast and then at dinner before the performances. Sal walked over to his friends, who were all eating. He slipped across from Larry and Ash, "Morning you two." Ash waved over at him, part of a bagel in her mouth. She always ate a lot less than the other acrobats, but no one seemed to comment on it. Larry nodded at Sal, "How'd you sleep, Sally face?" He had a mug of coffee, probably with no cream or sugar. He always drank it that way. Sal thought it was absolutely disgusting, though, "Decent. If guilt wasn't a thing I'd be sleeping like a baby?" Ash piped in, "Hey why? Oh shit, how'd the date go?" She smiled at him until Sal said, "Started good, ended terribly."

Of course, that started the rapid-fire questions from his friends. Sal eventually shushed them down, "Okay, okay, I'll spill. It started out smoothly! The date went well. We were cracking jokes, eating...It was so good! So I asked him to walk me home, see? And we got to my tent and he asked for a kiss. I said no and gave an excuse, he kept asking. I said no again. Then he wanted to take off my mask. So I told him Goodnight then went into my tent. He left though. Then I got sad and cried." He said with a shrug or two near the end. Todd shook his head, "It sucks that he didn't just leave you the fuck alone for not wanting a kiss." Sal nodded, "Exactly! I didn't want one and I didn't want my lips feeling weird to ruin a kiss!" He had his hand mostly above his head, then looked at larry, "Suck my fat dong, Johnson!" The group of friends bursts out laughing at that. Larry was just happy Sal wasn't as sad anymore.

~~~

It was an hour before a show. Sal was just now beginning to put his hair up. Ash was sitting in his tent with him. He looked over at her, "Should I do a bun or pigtails like normal?" Ash tilted her head to the side as she thought, "Go for the bun. Give those librarian vibes." She chuckled softly. Sal nodded then began to pull up his hair into a bun. Brushing through it was the worst part. His hair was always so tangled when he didn't brush it in the morning. Ash noticed and went to go help him. They had become good friends over the years. Not as close as he was with Larry, but she was pretty damn close. She pulled Sal onto his bed to sit down then began running the brush through it gently. Sal just let her do it, "Ash? How do I act like a girl?" She was a bit caught off guard by this question. But she knew it was to keep him safe from being outed as a homosexual, "Well...Be dainty. More...I don't know. Uhm..." She was having trouble explaining it to him. She had always been more masculine in the way she acted most of the time, "Princess-y" she finally said it. Sal began to laugh at that, and Ash laughed as well, "But yeah. Act like one of the Disney princesses!" Sal nodded, "Thank you, Ash. I'll try to figure out that." He hugged her tightly as she finished brushing the rat nest on his head.

[To be continued]

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks! This is a rewrite of my original story I wasn't too proud of.  
> If doing fanart/cosplay for this au, Make sure to tag me on Instagram (skeletonartboy) for the idea! I hope you enjoyed and will stay along for the ride!


End file.
